Update: Long-standing Guilt Edition

This is the finished version of the long-standing WIP I mentioned a few months ago. I worked on it pretty steadily after that post, and although it was tedious in the extreme, it was so worth it. My husband is eminently craft-worthy, and he waited a long time for this.

The finished Hobbes is 16 inches from toes to ears, with another 10 inches of tail. Eleven total pieces needing assembly, plus a few bits of felt applique. Given that assembly and finishing is my least favorite part of any project, this was definitely a labor of love.

The scarf wasn't included in the original pattern, but Hobbes (in tiger form) wears a red scarf in several of the comics, and I thought he needed a little something. It's just two or three long rows of double-crochet, whipped up in about fifteen minutes.

The white and orange yarns are Red Heart Super Saver (not my favorite, especially for amigurumi, but it was the only suitable orange, and I had the white on hand anyway), and the black is Red Heart Soft Yarn. The red might be Vanna's Choice, but I wouldn't stake money on it--it's been in my stash forever and the yarn band's long since lost. I used a 4.5 mm hook.

The pattern is free and available from sukigirl's blog. I also recommend taking a look at Needle Noodle's tutorial for jogless stripes in the round, which made a huge difference in the look of the finished project.

It's possible I've actually learned something about knitting

Terrible picture, favorite scarf.

Some time ago, I decided I was ready to learn to knit. It... did not go well. A year later, I decided (again) that I wanted to learn to knit--for really really, this time. It also did not go well. I did get that yarn untangled, eventually (I outsourced), but that particular project is still only five or six pattern repeats in. I look at it sometimes, and sigh, but I haven't actually picked it back up yet.

That does NOT mean, however, that I haven't been knitting. I'm made huge improvements in that arena, although given what I was starting out with, anything would have been an improvement, up to and including setting that first swatch on fire. My projects page on Ravelry tells me I've got twelve finished knitting pieces, and while some of them are pretty terrible (I'm looking at you, beach-towel-sized dishcloth!), some of them are actually pretty great. (See photo at left.)

DINSDALE!

I even marshaled all my wits and knit a few small things in the round with double-pointed needles (DPNs). I admit, I didn't think anything good could possibly result from adding more needles to the mix, but then things started working exactly the way they were supposed to work and suddenly I had a painfully cute stuffed hedgehog. (The free pattern is available from Purl Bee, which is a great source of attractive, beginner-appropriate patterns.)

I've learned that I do best if I choose patterns that only have me learning one or two new things at a time. There are some people who can make the leap from a garter stitch scarf to a shaped sweater, and feel invigorated by the challenge, but I'm not one of them. Limiting the number of new skills per pattern keeps me interested, but also allows me to actually master all of them by the time I move on to the next thing.

A scarf-in-progress

I've also found the videos at KnittingHelp.com to be invaluable. That's the magic of the internet, right there: watching someone do the exact thing I'm trying to do, in slow motion, over and over again for as long as it takes me to understand (without having to worry that someone's looking over my shoulder, rolling their eyes, and wondering why I'm so dense, it's just an ssk, jeese.) They even have separate videos for continental and English-style knitters. Magic, I tell you, magic!

I don't think I'll be changing the name of this blog to "Hooray Knitting" any time soon--it doesn't have the same ring to it, for one, and crochet remains my first love. But it's exciting to see actual progress, to be able to knit things that I actually want to have, finally. Apparently being bi-craftual is all it's cracked up to be. Who knew?!

What's on my hook: guilt & shame edition

Finished: head, body, muzzle. Still left: arms, legs, tail, belly patch, ears.

When I mentioned last week that I had works in progress (WIPs) that were nearly a year old, this was the one I was really thinking of. I promised my husband, a lifelong Calvin & Hobbes fan, a crocheted amigurumi Hobbes (from this pattern) for his birthday... last year. Given that his birthday is coming up (again! it's like they happen every year) at the end of this month, I thought I'd better get on this. It's been hanging over my head, filling me with (well-deserved) guilt since last year. Time to do something about it. Besides, I'm no longer trying to keep the project a secret from him, so it's a lot easier to find time to work on it.

I finished the blue scarf that I posted about last week, so perhaps this post will be the boost I need to finish this project, too.

Apollo manages one of his rare serious faces.

What's on my needles

The stitch markers are handmade and owly. Yes!

According to my Ravelry projects page, I have eight current works-in-progress. That's bad enough, but it gets worse when you factor in the fact that a) not everything I've got going is on Ravelry, and b) that's just the knitting and crochet. Not the embroidery, the cross stitch, the sewing, the mosaic plant stand...

I've heard this referred to as "startitis," but whatever you want to call it, I've got it bad. I've got projects in "progress" from this time last year, and we won't talk about the wedding afghan for the couple who got married in October.

That said, I've been working on this scarf/shawlette pretty steadily since I started it a week ago. It's the very popular Age of Brass & Steam by Orange Flower in Patons Silk Bamboo yarn. (The yarn is nice, but not as magical as I'd hoped. It's quite soft, though, and has a lovely sheen, and I think it'll be very nice draped around my neck.)

I have been on a major triangle scarf kick lately--I finished a different one (striped, cotton blend) immediately before starting this one, and I've got a couple other scarves on the go as well. All that stockinette makes it great TV knitting, so I had an excellent time on Sunday working on this and rewatching both seasons of Sherlock. (Come soon, season three. Sooooooooooooon.)

Crocheted rag rug: Part 2

About 2/3 of the way through.

Last time I posted, I wrote the first part of a semi-tutorial about crocheting a rag rug out of old t-shirts. The rug's now complete, so I thought I'd post pictures of the finished product and share a few more tips.

I crocheted the entire thing over the course of a weekend, and it's a great project to do while you watch a movie, since it doesn't require that much concentration or counting once you get going.

I used this basic tutorial for crocheting an oval, but of course you can do any shape you like--round, oval, square or rectangle (in the round or in rows). If you're doing a circle or an oval, once you get past the first few rows, don't sweat too much making sure you're doing the "correct" number of increases around the curve. Keeping the rug flat is more important, and since your "yarn" isn't going to be perfectly uniform in width, you might have to add or subtract increases to keep things even. No big deal! Just trust your instincts and adapt as you work.

Hobbes-approved, so you know it's good.

Overall, this rug took ten t-shirts (size adult small through extra large) and its final size is around 17 x 30." If I'd had more t-shirts, I might have kept going, but I think it's big enough. I used a Lion Brand P-15/11.5mm hook, but if I do this again I might use a bigger one. I tend to crochet pretty tightly, and by the time I was finished, my hands were aching a little.

Right now it's in the laundry room being used as a place mat for the cats--a glamorous use for a very glamorous piece of DIY home decor.

If you're looking for more rag rug inspiration, or more detailed instruction, there's a great rag rug Flickr group (of course there is!). Some of the tutorials I looked at include:

• This Vintage Chica's rag rug tutorial 
• Little House in the Suburbs's no-sew rag rug (it's braided, not crocheted, but it's still pretty cool) 
• Mia's Boys rag rug tutorial
• CraftStylish, how to crochet a rug out of t-shirts 
• Craft Passion demonstrates a slightly different method for converting t-shirts to yarn.
• Bonus link: DIY Life shows how to make a market tote out of an old t-shirt.

Plus, there about a zillion more links and videos to be found with a quick Google search. Happy crafting!

New project: crocheted rag rug (part 1)

T-shirt yarn!

Raise your hand if this situation is familiar: you graduated from college in the past few years, and you are absolutely drowning in slightly over-sized, no longer wearable souvenir t-shirts from every high school and college event or activity you ever participated in. I've got sports t-shirts from high school, service project t-shirts from high school and college, club t-shirts, you name it. I even have a t-shirt that my Brownie troop made in elementary school. And I don't--or at least shouldn't--wear them anymore. I've already turned half of them into housecleaning rags,* but there are still a bunch left.

What's a crafty girl who hates throwing things away to do? Turn them into a rag rug, of course!

To that end, I've spent the past several evenings cutting a pile of t-shirts into long strips and rolling them into balls. Luckily nearly all the shirts are part of the same gray/white/blue/navy color family, so the finished product will look nicely unified.

To cut the t-shirts into strips, I started at the bottom hem and cut the body of the shirt into a long, continuous spiral all the way up to the armpits, rolling the strips into a ball as I went. I tried to keep the strips about the same 1" thickness, but didn't really sweat it. Perfectly even strips of material aren't necessary, but try to keep them all between 1/2" and 1" in width. Wider than that and it'll get harder to catch with your hook, but going much narrower might make your "yarn" too weak. Now that I've started crocheting, I would also recommend cutting off and discarding the bottom hem entirely, and starting your cut just above it. The double thickness of the fabric is really hard to stitch with and makes the final product lumpy.

A little bit of printing on the shirt is okay, but it does make the fabric a little stiffer, so avoid shirts with very large overall designs, or anything that feels stiff in your hands. Since the fabric tends to roll in on itself as you crochet, printed designs won't make the final product look weird.

For the first few t-shirts, I also cut the sleeves into strips as well, but now that I've started crocheting, I don't think it's worth the effort--it doesn't make a very long length of material, and all that joining really slows the speed of my crochet. But if you don't have that many shirts to start with, it might be worth it for you.

If you don't have t-shirts, old bed sheets, or pretty much any other scrap fabric, will also work. It is a rag rug, after all! 

*Pro tip: old t-shirts make great cleaning rags. They're soft, absorbent, tough, and if they've been washed enough times, almost totally lint-free.

October: my Month of Finished Projects

I am the Queen of Unfinished Projects. This is true in every aspect of my life, but it's starting to become a particular problem with crochet. I get an idea, or find a project I'm really excited about, I buy the supplies and dive in, swept up by the possibilities and the rush that comes from feeling your inspiration solidify into something real.

Then, three-quarters of the way through, I get bored. The exciting part is over, and there's a brand-new idea to tantalize me. The pattern can repeat endlessly if I let it.

Obviously, this is not my best quality, so it's something I'm trying to work on. To that end, I've declared October my Month of Finished Projects.

There are two rules: I am not allowed to start anything new. I am not allowed to buy any yarn, hooks, fabric, or other supplies. (I already have plenty for the projects I need to finish.) (These second rule has the added bonus of saving me money, something else I need to work on.)

The projects:

1.  A pair of cacti for a former co-worker. One is 3/4 done; the other I haven't started. I really should have finished them three weeks ago.
2. The purple sweater I started in March. All I have left to do is finish the second sleeve and sew it all together.
3. The silvery-gray shrug I started in the early summer. It just needs a couple more rows and the edging.
4. The hat I started for my fiance last winter. All it needs are ear flaps and edging.
5. The striped pillow I started a few weeks ago to coordinate with (and use up leftover yarn from) my granny square afghan.
6. The ivory triangle scarf I'm currently working on. It's between one-third and one-half of the way done, so of all these projects it will probably take the longest to finish. (I'm using crochet thread, so progress is painfully slow.)

If by some miracle I blow through all of the above before the month is out, there are plenty more unfinished projects I can take on. The rules will apply until 12:01 AM, November 1st.

We'll see how it goes! There's a whole different kind of satisfaction and excitement that comes from seeing a project through to completion (and from finally getting some things out of the Work in Progress basket).

More amigurumi: Bop Bot!

Bop Bot listens to bands that don't exist yet.

I've been on a bit of an amigurumi kick lately (I guess I had to get that afghan out of my system), but I think this will probably be the last for awhile. My hands are cramping up!

Like Yoda, Bop Bot is a thank-you gift for a professional mentor, one with far better taste in music than I have. The pattern came from Crobots: 20 Amigurumi Robots to Make by Nelly Pailloux, which is full of great designs (although this is the first I've made). It wasn't too hard and the instructions and diagrams were very clear. My only complaint is that there are a lot of little parts to assemble and sew together, and boy do I hate sewing. The poor guy actually sat on my desk in pieces for about a week before I finally got around to assembling him. But that might be more personal quirk, less actual failing on the designer's part.

As usual, I made a few deviations from the pattern. I changed up the colors a bit, eliminated a few rounds to make him shorter, and fiddled with the embellishments a bit mostly to reduce the amount of sewing I'd have to do. So I glued on sequins instead, and used safety eyes instead of beads. I stuck with the original idea of using a retractable-pen spring for the mouth--I think it looks really cute.

Technical details: The robot is done with a size E/4 3.5 mm hook in worst weight yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Colonial Blue and Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Seafoam. For the headphones I used a size C/2 2.75 mm hook and two different yarns: Lion Brand Vanna's Glamour (sport weight) in platinum and Royale crochet thread in black (either size 10 or size 3--I don't remember and I've lost the label). The whole thing is about 3 - 3.5" tall, stuffed with yarn bits and polyester fiberfill.

The Force is strong with this one

So! Cute!

I'm a nerd, I admit it freely. In fact there's no "admitting" involved: I wear it on my sleeve.  I love Battlestar Galactica, Firefly and Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and, of course, Star Wars. So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across lucyravenscar's Etsy shop. It's the crocheting nerd's paradise. I want every pattern she makes, but so far, I've only purchased her Yoda pattern. He'll be a thank-you gift for someone who has been a huge help to me professionally over the past few years, and who also happens to love Star Wars.

The pattern is great--clear, easy to follow, and includes several pictures. And oh my golly, you all, it turned out amazing, if you'll let me brag a little bit. Of course, most of the credit here has to go to the pattern designer--the ears are what makes it, and she got them spot-on. I really can't wait to give this as a gift (and then make another for myself!)

Technical details: I used a size E/4 3.5mm hook and worsted weight yarn. Yoda's skin is Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in lime and the robe is Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in beige. The single row of brown is Loops 'n Threads Impeccable in chocolate. (I think that's Michaels' store brand? It's not bad.) Stuffed with scrap yarn bits, polyester fiberfill, and nine centuries' accumulated wisdom about the Force. Roughly 3 1/4" tall.

I made a cactus

I finally got around to trying out the cactus patterns I posted last week. I ended up combining the two patterns into a hybrid I'm rather proud of. I used Ana Paula's basic form, but with a few extra rounds (including a few extra rounds of increases) to make it bigger. The stubby little branch is a smaller version of the same. The flowers came from nadia308's tutorial, and I departed from both patterns by substituting an actual terracotta pot ($0.79 at Michael's) for a crocheted one. I just stuffed it and hot-glued the crochet in along the edge of the "sand." It looks great, if I say so myself.

This may be addictive. I really want to find more plants to crochet. It'll be my personal alternative to the crocheted food craze.

Technical details: I used a size E/4 3.5mm hook and worsted weight yarn: Vanna's Choice in fern and beige and Lion Brand Cotton Ease in terracotta. It's stuffed with my usual combination of leftover yarn bits and polyester fiberfill.

Crochet for weddings

Here's a gross oversimplification for the ages: weddings, like holidays, frequently bring out the worst in the craft world. Or maybe just in the crochet world, because overall, DIY wedding stuff seems to be getting a lot better. Or maybe I just read the right wedding blogs.

Still, I haven't been feeling a lot of love for the intersection of crochet and weddings. I'm getting married in May, and since I'm into DIYing it in general and crocheting in particular, I'd love to find one or two ways to incorporate that into Our Special Day. Crochet Today's wedding feature in the May/June 2010 issue gave me a brief burst of hope, but that was quickly dashed when I saw the patterns. They're not bad, exactly (except the crocheted wedding cake--I just think that's weird), but they're not really me, let alone us.

I'm not planning on a gigantic veil, so the bridal headband might have some potential buried underneath the starched flowers and the pearl beads, but the effort it would take to make it work for me is probably not worth it. Not when Etsy exists. The double wedding rings blanket would be great in a different colorway, but that would be for our house, not the wedding day itself.

I could make a pretty awesome ring bearer pillow... but I don't think we're having a ring bearer. (And I don't think our best man would be down with toting a pillow around. Not as long as suits come with pockets.) I'm not really a lacy-wrap-wearing kind of girl, and I don't think my 'maids are either. So far, my two best ideas are amigurumi cake toppers (zombie for him, robot-with-a-veil for me?) and doilies like these for under our centerpieces. (Which will also be DIY. Thanks, Martha!)

Anyone have any better ideas for adding (modern, fun) crochet touches to a wedding?

ISO: the perfect vacation project

I'm about to go spend a week in the mountains, with nothing in particular to do except eat Goldfish and drink iced lattes. I found a couple good space operas at the library, and if the spirit moves me, I'll probably get in some crochet time, too. So I've been searching for the perfect vacation project.

What makes a good vacation project? Compact--so the granny square afghan I've got going is out. Simple--so the amigurumi projects I've had an eye on aren't going to work. I want to be able to relax and stitch on auto-pilot, not sweat over teeny-tiny increases. I also don't want a project involving multiple color changes--that many more balls of yarn I'd have to tote along.

So I'd settled on this pretty triangle scarf from the September/October 2009 issue of Crochet Today. Gray is my color of choice for far too many projects, but the only gray crochet thread I could find was mercerized cotton, which wouldn't drape well enough for this sort of thing. So I figured I'd use their recommended bamboo thread (which is super soft), in a nice neutral.

Too bad I can't find any. Michael's doesn't carry the Aunt Lydia's brand, and my local Joann's has been consistently out of the natural color that I want. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, so unless Joann's does an overnight restock (unlikely...) I'll just have to find a project I can make with the yarn stash I already have.

Right now I'm leaning towards a basket-weave clutch in cotton, a design I've been working on in my head for awhile. Unless anybody has any better suggestions?